How long was YOUR break in period?

[inco]

My break in period is really going to be a long one. The car hasn't moved in over a month, tucked away in the unheated garage while I recover from a detached retina. They say it will take two to eight weeks before I can see so I might not have to worry about driving in all this crappy weather and get to enjoy spring when it arrives in May or June. :play:

[hybridbear]

My break in period is really going to be a long one. The car hasn't moved in over a month, tucked away in the unheated garage while I recover from a detached retina. They say it will take two to eight weeks before I can see so I might not have to worry about driving in all this crappy weather and get to enjoy spring when it arrives in May or June. :play:

Sorry to hear about your eye...hope it heals quickly and completely!

[tr7driver]

How do I tell it's broken in?

 

The temps here are hitting the 40's(F) the past week and so is my MPG. I'm not sure it has anything to do with break in, but my car is at 1,600 miles on the clock. Temps were below freezing most of the time since I bought it and MPG was in the low 30's. I did a hard reset and stuffed the grill about 3 weeks ago and saw an immediate jump in mpg of 4-6 mpg, but the temps also started to rise into the 20's (F) at that time. Most of my early driving was also in snow/slush conditions, so I'm thinking my mpg is more a function of temps/winter conditions than anything else. The best lifetime I ever had on my 2010 Merc Milan HY was 42, so my expectations for this car are rising quickly.

 

(the only time I've had the BS warning is while initially trying to set up MFS/MF when I first brought it home)

[acdii]

When you get consistent figures without trying. Then you will know its broken in, more likely though, it is you who is broken in to the car. :) Like muscle memory, once you discover the proper techniques, it will come naturally when you drive, and you will find you are no longer working at it, it just happens.

[hybridbear]

Definitely a difference in the MPGs of the white FFH. Today the temp hit 60F and I drove a couple of routes that I drove and tracked many times in the black FFH. All the trips were 8-10 MPG lower than the previous average for those routes in the black FFH.

 

The white FFH has 2500 miles on the odometer now, with about half being EV miles. I really hope that most of the 10 MPG difference is because of "break-in" and not because of the 18-inch wheels.

[corncobs]

The 18" wheels do make a difference but probably not 10 MPG. I switched back to my summer tires which are the 18" from the 17" winter wheels (with standard size tires) and I noticed the slight difference today compare to my trip to Detroit a few weeks ago.

The winter tires roll easier ;)

[Riggo]

Definitely a difference in the MPGs of the white FFH. Today the temp hit 60F and I drove a couple of routes that I drove and tracked many times in the black FFH. All the trips were 8-10 MPG lower than the previous average for those routes in the black FFH.

 

The white FFH has 2500 miles on the odometer now, with about half being EV miles. I really hope that most of the 10 MPG difference is because of "break-in" and not because of the 18-inch wheels.

You can always sell your 18" wheels for some less sporty 17" wheels ;-)

 

I like to think I really know how to drive this car now, and while I'm able to achieve 55-60 mpg on trips over 15-20 miles on certain routes, I'm never able to do it consistently on all routes. I'm just telling myself it's the 18" wheels to make myself feel better :-)

Edited March 31, 2014 by Riggo

[rocky]

just cracked 40mpg today with 294.5 miles in so far

 

[hybridbear]

You can always sell your 18" wheels for some less sporty 17" wheels ;-)

I would do that if I had the opportunity to just trade with someone with the 17 inch wheels.

[corncobs]

I would do that if I had the opportunity to just trade with someone with the 17 inch wheels.

That you would say that doesn't surprise me at all HB. (Not in a bad way)

The 18" look and feel so much nicer I couldn't care less about potentially loosing 3-4 MPG if that.

[hybridbear]

That you would say that doesn't surprise me at all HB. (Not in a bad way)

The 18" look and feel so much nicer I couldn't care less about potentially loosing 3-4 MPG if that.

Haha ya. The thing is though, I don't think they look nicer. I don't think the Goodyear tires are superior. And I don't like the fact that replacing the 18-inch tires will cost more than replacing the 17-inch tires.

[corncobs]

Haha ya. The thing is though, I don't think they look nicer. I don't think the Goodyear tires are superior. And I don't like the fact that replacing the 18-inch tires will cost more than replacing the 17-inch tires.

Good thing there is a choice on wheels and that's the reason I spend $400 on the 18" option.

Edited March 31, 2014 by corncobs

[hybridbear]

Good thing there is a choice on wheels and that's the reason a spend $400 on the 18" option.

And an unfortunate reality when buying a car off the lot which has the 18' wheels already.

[hybridbear]

Today the temp hit 60F again and again all my trips were 9-10 MPG lower than the previous average for those routes in the black FFH.

The white FFH has 2650 miles on the odometer now, with about half being EV miles. I really hope that the 10 MPG difference will go away soon. This is getting really annoying... Overall, the white FFH gets 15% worse MPG than the old black one did. I really hope that this poor fuel economy won't be permanent or else we won't be keeping the white FFH.

[acdii]

Still burning Benzine, wait until the fuel blends change and do a full reset.

[GrySql]

I really hope that this poor fuel economy won't be permanent or else we won't be keeping the white FFH.

I remember saying something similar about a year ago and was thinking of the upcoming '15 models as a solution.

 

Mine will never get what your black FFH or many others get but it has enough other good traits that I've come to really like this car.

Tonight we went out to dinner and the weather was so nice afterwards we took a drive, varied terrain, hills, mostly 55mph and under with 70 mph freeway for the final 7 miles.

When I parked in the garage I saw the car had done it's EPA advertised mpg's, we got 47mpg for the 50 miles.

I can't say it was always like this, especially at first, but it's found a home now.

[tr7driver]

Have you removed your grill blockers?

 

I was thinking about taking mine off Sunday as high temps are now in the 50's here, but changed my mind after a 56 mpg drive home from church, I'm sure they helped keep the engine warm while I was in there. I have been watching the temp gauge and it reads slightly above 60%, so I figure I'm still safe for now. I'll be taking a road trip to the east coast in a couple of weeks and will probably take mine off before I hit the highway.

[hybridbear]

Still burning Benzine, wait until the fuel blends change and do a full reset.

Good point. The EPA says that winter blend gas should cause 1.7% lower MPG on average due to its lower energy content. But that's only a small portion of the overall lower fuel economy in the white FFH. Hopefully summer blend gas will come soon!

 

Have you removed your grill blockers?

 

I was thinking about taking mine off Sunday as high temps are now in the 50's here, but changed my mind after a 56 mpg drive home from church, I'm sure they helped keep the engine warm while I was in there. I have been watching the temp gauge and it reads slightly above 60%, so I figure I'm still safe for now. I'll be taking a road trip to the east coast in a couple of weeks and will probably take mine off before I hit the highway.

I was planning to comment about this and then I saw your comment here. Check out this post:

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/7788-preparing-for-winter-with-a-comprehensive-strategy-to-improve-mpgs-including-grille-blocking-more/?p=78367